After the success of last year’s auction, we are selling three more Proton Lifetime Accounts this year to benefit organizations worthy of our community’s support. The auctions will take place on eBay and will start next week at 8 PM Central European Time on Dec. 19 and run until Dec. 29.
If you’re interested in bidding on a Lifetime Account, please check our Lifetime Account auction announcement(nouvelle fenêtre) for details about the organizations being supported and links to the auctions.
First, we need your help
This year, we would like to invite you to suggest charities, organizations, projects, events, etc. that you believe deserve funding from the Proton community. During the 2018 holiday season, the auctions brought in over €30,000(nouvelle fenêtre), and we were able to donate an additional €15,000 to three organizations we care about: the Belarusian news outlet Charter’97(nouvelle fenêtre), the WireGuard VPN project(nouvelle fenêtre), and a scholarship program to train journalists in digital security.
For independent organizations, these donations can have a major impact and help sustain their efforts. We would like to choose three different recipients this year to receive a donation. We will match the funds raised, dollar for dollar, up to €10,000 per auction.
There are no strict criteria for the beneficiaries, and we reserve the right to decide who ultimately receives funding. But generally we’re looking for efforts that align with our own mission at Proton, furthering global access to freedom, privacy, and security online. We don’t ask anything from these organizations in return.
To suggest beneficiaries, simply fill out this Typeform survey(nouvelle fenêtre). You’re welcome to suggest up to three organizations.
What is a Lifetime Account?
Proton Lifetime Accounts are exclusive accounts that grant the owner Visionary status(nouvelle fenêtre) forever (regular price €288/year). However, instead of paying monthly or annually, Lifetime Accounts are purchased once. They can also be sold or transferred to other Proton users.
Lifetime Account benefits include:
- Automatic premium accounts for all existing and future Proton services, including Proton Calendar(nouvelle fenêtre) and Proton Drive(nouvelle fenêtre)
- The ability to transfer the account to any other Proton username
- The option to resell the account on the secondary market
We first issued Lifetime Accounts during our initial crowdfunding campaign in 2014(nouvelle fenêtre) and again in 2016 for about €1,000 each. However, on the secondary market, the resale value is currently estimated to be over €5,000.
About the Lifetime Account auction
The holidays are a great time to say thanks to our community for their generosity, but also to pay that generosity forward. We already contribute in-kind donations to the open source(nouvelle fenêtre), crypto(nouvelle fenêtre), and civil rights(nouvelle fenêtre) communities. But if anyone knows the importance of money to get a project off the ground, it’s us.
With that in mind, last year we decided to leverage the sale of small batches of Lifetime Accounts to raise funds for exciting projects that make the world (and the Internet) a better place. We’re excited to continue this initiative, and we look forward to reading your suggestions!
Best Regards,
The Proton Mail Team
UPDATE Dec. 19, 2019: The dates of the auction were changed to reflect its new start date and duration.
